Article-storing closet



Jan. 3, 1961 J. L. KLEINPENNING 2,967,081

ARTICLE-STORING cLosET Filed sept. 19, 1957 s sheets-sheet 1 FIGA[Alwin/,0R

JoHANNu LEoNARDUs ELEINPENNLNG By Z AG NT FIGS Jan. 3, `1961 J. L.KLEINPENNING 2,967,081 ARTICLE-MORIN@ cLosm' Filed Sept. 19, 1957 3Sheets-Sheet '2 INVENTOR JOHANNUS LEONA RDUS KLEINPENNING BY M f6: L#

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Jan. 3, 1961 J. L. KLEINPENNING 2,967,081

ARTIcLE-sToRING cLosET 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Sept. 19', 1957 FIGS FIG

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JOHANNUS LEoNARous KLEINPENNING BY l 2 AGENT United States PatentnARTICLE-STORING CLOSET Johannus Leonardus Kleinpeuning, Eindhoven,Netherlands, assigner to North American Philips Company, Inc., New York,N.Y., a corporation of Delaware Filed Sept. 19, 19157, Ser. No. 684,943

Claims priority, application Netherlands Sept. 24, 1956 4 Claims. (Cl.S12-268) The invention relates to an article storing closet, for examplefor clothes, which closet has a wall with an opening through which thegoods to be stowed away can be supplied to a transport device providedin the space and having a plurality of storing positions. Such closestsmay be used as wardrobes or as luggage stores. Usually such goods arecollected by an employee and stowed away. Particularly in the case of arush of visitors in the cloakrooms of theatres and cinemas, for example,the storing and the delivery of the goods can take much time.

The invention has for its object to obviate this disadvantage.

In accordance with the invention the closet is provided with a contactbank having a plurality of contacts which correspond to the number ofstoring positions of the transport device, while a plurality ofselecting elements can co-operate with this contact bank in a mannersuch that during the co-operation of the contact bank with a selector,the position corresponding to this selector lies before the opening andduring the failing of this co-operation a further, uncharged position ismoved before the opening.

It should be noted that a storing device is known, which has a cyclingtransport chain which is controlled in a manner such that always asafety lamp is located before the opening. When a lamp is removed afurther safety lamp is automatically moved before the opening.

When a loaded position moves away from the opening, the transport devicecan move in a direction opposite the direction in which it is moved withan unloaded position before the opening. For structural reasons it is,however, as a rule desirable for the transport device to move only inone direction.

According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, always the sameposition of the transport device is located before the opening in thewall, as long as a selector does not co-operate with the contactbank,while due to the cooperation of the contact bank with a selector, theposition corresponding to the selector is moved before the opening andmoved back into the initial position, when the co-operation ceases.

As a matter of course, the contact device may be constructed in variousways. A simple solution is obtained in accordance with one aspect of theinvention by providing the contact bank with a contact which is the samefor all selectors and with a plurality of contacts, each of which cancorrespond only to one associated selector, while provision isfurthermore made of means, for example a lug or a recess, to x theposition of the selector in the contact bank. l

Particularly if the closet is used as a storage space for a wardrobe,measures must be taken to prevent theft of clothes. According to afurther aspect of the invention the transport device comprises, to thisend, means by which the clothes to be transported are carried and y.2,967,081 Patented dan. 3, 1961 which are fastened to the transportdevice so as to 'be movable in a vertical sense and which are moved bythe weight ofthe goods to be transported to a different distance fromthe transport device than in the unloaded state, provision beingfurthermore made of a safety device for at least part of the track ofthe transport device with the except of a section near the opening inthe wall, so that a movement of the means at the area of the safetyedvice in a vertical sense actuates an alarm device.

According to a further aspect ofv the invention the means carrying thegoods consist of a peg Which is secured to the transport device so as tobe resiliently movable in a vertical sense, this peg having an extensionwhich, when the peg moves up or down, contacts locally with a contactstrip associated with the safety device and located at the side of thetrack, so that an alarm device is actuated.

The invention will be described more fully with reference to anembodiment which is shown only diagrammatically. l

Fig. 1 is a plan view of a cabinet for storing clothes.

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view taken on the line Il--ll of Fig. land Fig. 3 is a front view of the cabinet.

Fig. 4 shows a circuit diagram, the transport device with the pegsoccupying one position.

Fig. 5 shows the transport device, while the-pegs occupy a differentposition.

Fig. 6 shows an unloaded peg in a side view, with thecircuit diagramassociated with this peg and Fig. 7 shows acontact part of the peg,where it is loaded.

Fig. 8' isa plan view of the peg and Figs. 9 and l0 show two selectingelements.

The device shown in Figs. 1 and 3 comprises a structural part 1, whichis surrounded by a wooden cabinet 2, which has an opening 3 on the frontside (Fig. 3). The device comprises an endless chain 4, which is adaptedto circulate across two toothed wheels 5 and 6. The toothed Vwheel S isdriven via a wormwheel 7, a pulley 8, a driving belt 9 and a pulley "10by an electric motor 11 To the chain 4 are secured a plurality of pegs12, of which one is shown on an enlarged scale in Fig. 6. lThe pegs havesupporting rollers 13, by means of which they can move between rails 14,so that the weight of the goods hanging on the pegs can be supported bythe rails; these rails need not extend to the front side, since at thisarea the toothed wheel 6 supports the weight.

On the front side the cabinet has an opening '15, behind which thecontact bank shown in Fig. 4 is'provided; a selector, as shown in Figs.9 and 10, can be introduced therein. Thus the device is actuated, aswill be described hereinafter.

The operation of the device will be described more fully also withreference to Figs. 4 and 5. These figures show diagrammatically theendless chain 4 with pegs 1252, 12b and so on; at a point 121 no peg isprovided. This chain has a groundconnection 16 and a sliding contact 17,which, when the chain moves, co'mes into contact with contacts 1811,1811, 13, 1811, 18e, 181, 18g,`1811, 181, 185, 18k, 181, which aresecured to the structural part. The contacts 18a, 181, 18, 18d, 18e,181, 18g, 1811, 181, 181, 181;, 181 are coupled by means of electricalconductors 19D-, 191, 19c aud so o-n to 191 with contact arms 20a,2411', 2li and so on to 201. Each of these contact arms 26a, Zth, 26Cand so on co-operates with a contact varm 21a, 21h, 21c and so onrespectively, which are connected via electric conductors 22a, 221, 22cand so on to a conductor 23.

The connections formed by the contact arms 2821, 21a, T201, 211 to thecontact arms 2011, 211i are such that in normal conditions theconnections are interrupted, whereas '-the contact arms 201, 211 aresuch that in normal condi- 'tions the connections are complete. Thecontacts 20a, 21a, 201, 211 and so on to 201, 211 constitute the contactbank, which is arranged behind the opening of the cabinet. To theconductor 23 is connected a conductor 224, which includes a coil and isconnected to ground via a transformer 26. The coil 25 is adapted toactuate la switch 27, of conventional construction, by means of whichthe rnotor 11 can be connected to the electric mains 28.

The selectors shown in Figs. 9 and l0 have a nonfcircular hole 29, whichcorresponds to a non-circular l.stud of the contact bank (Fig. 4), andan extension 31, which is located with the two selectors lat the samearea Vrelative to the hole 29, while each selector has an extenision 32(Fig. 9) or 33 (Fig. 1G), which is located at a different area relativeto the hole 29 for each element.

The device operates as follows. If the contact bank :has no selector,the endless chain occupies the position shown in Fig. 5, so that theposition 121, which has no peg, is located before the opening 3 of thecabinet. All Icontacts formed by the Contact elements 20a, 21a to 20k,211i are opened, whereas the contact 201, 211 is closed. Thus theconductor 191 is co-nnected to ground via the contact 181, the slidingContact 121 and the conductor 16,

while the conductor 23 is also connected to ground via the conductor 24and the transformer 26. The co-il 25 is thus energized and the switch isopen.

When a selector is introduced through the opening 15 into the contactbank, the extension opens the contact formed by the elements 261, 211,while one of the contacts formed by the elements 25a, 21a to 2011, 21kis closed, in the case shown the conta-ct 2011, 21d. Since the slidingcontact 17 is located at the area of the contact 181, no groundconnection exists, so that the coil 25 is not energized. Thus the switch27 will be closed and the motor 11 will be connected to the mains, sothat it starts running. The motor 11 drives the toother wheel 5 via thepulleys 10 and 8, the belt 9 and the wormwheel 7, so that the chain 4circulates. The chain lmoves until the sliding contact 17 touches thecontact 1811 (Fig. 4), so that a ground connection is established viathe conductor 16. In this case the coil 25 is re-energized, so that theswitch 27 is opened and the motor 11 stops. Before the opening 15 isthen located the peg 1211, on which may be hung clothes to be stored.When then the selector is withdrawn from the contact bank, the contact201, 211 is established `and the contact 2011, 21d is opened. The coil25 is no longer energized, so that the switch 27 is Closed yand themotor drives the chain. When the sliding contact touches the contact181, a ground connection is re-established and the motor 11 ceases.

The device may therefore be used for storing clothes or luggage. Onlythe owner oi a selector can move the peg corresponding to his selectorbefore the opening 15, by introducing the selector into the contactbank. In order to prevent the removal of clothes hung on other pegs,when the chain moves along the opening 15, it is desirable to provide asafety device. This device is described with reference to Figs. 6, 7 and8.

The peg 12, shown in Figs. 6 and 8, has a side arm 34, on which may behung, for example, a hat; with respect to a housing 35, having avertical slot 36, this peg is adapted to move up and down. The housinghas, on the top side, a Stud 37, by means of which the peg can besecured to the rollers shown in Fig. 2.

Owing to the conductor 16 (Fig. 4) the chain 4 and hence each peg isconnected to ground, which is shown in Fig. 6 by the ground-connection16. The peg has, on its top side, an extension 3S, which is adapted tomove up and down in the slot 36, while provision is made of a spring 39,which urges the peg upwards. The spring 39 is so weak that the weight ofa hat even sufces to pull the peg down. On the front side of thecabinet, near the aperture 3 and partly on the sides thereof, provisionis made of a contact rail 4i), which is interrupted on the front side atthe area where the pegs stop over a small distance 41 (Fig. 8). lf thepeg is not loaded, the extension 38 moves over the rail 40 and if thepeg is loaded, the extension moves below the rail 40, as is shown inFig. 7.

The rail 40 is, via an electric conductor 41a, in contact withsignalling devices, for example a lamp 42 and a buzzer 43, whileprovision is furthermore made of a connection with the transformer 26,which is connected to ground, as is shown also in Fig. 4. Only when apeg is in the rest position on the front side, can it be drawn downthrough the opening 41, so that a piece of cloth can be hung on the peg.If a moving peg were used, the extension 38 would come into contact withtheV rail 40 during the upward movement, so that the alarm device wouldbecome operative. If a piece of cloth were removed frorn a moving peg,the extension 38 would come into contact with the rail 40 during theupward movement, so that also in this case the alarm device wouldoperate. It is possible, as a matter of course, to provide a rail whichextends throughout the track of the chain with the exception of one areaon the front side, so that even if a piece of cloth falls from a peg acontact is established.

What is claimed is:

'1. A clothes-storing closet comprising a front wall with an openingtherein through which the clothes to be stored are deposited, an endlessconveyor device in said closet having a plurality of supports in spacedpositions along said conveyor, a contact bank having a plurality ofelectrical contacts, an electrical circuit, each of said contactsadapted to co-act with associated supports, a plurality of selectorelements, each corresponding to a particular support whereby when saidselector element is placed in engagement with said contact bank anelectric circuit is made and the endless conveyor device is rotateduntil the support corresponding to the selector element thereon arrivesat a predetermined location in said closet adjacent to the openingtherein, and means causing each support to return to its initialposition when the corresponding selector element is removed fromengagement with said contact bank.

2. A clothes-storing closet as claimed in claim 1 wherein each of saidsupports includes means for carrying said support for vertical movement,said support being moved vertically solely by the weight of the clothessuspended therefrom, an alarm device operative in any position of saidsupport except in the region ofthe front wall opening wherebypredetermined vertical movement in one direction of the support willactuate said alarm device.

3. A clothes-storing closet as claimed in claim 2 wherein said alarmdevice is provided with a contact strip, and the support is providedwith a peg for suspending the clothes, and an extension which uponvertical movement in a predetermined direction engages said contactstrip associated with the alarm device to thereby actuate the latter.

4. An article-storing closet comprising a front wall with an openingtherein through which articles to be stored are deposited, an endlessconveyor device in said closet having a plurality of supports in spacedpositions along said conveyor, a contact bank having a plurality ofelectrical contacts, an electrical circuit, each of said contactsadapted to co-act with associated supports, a plurality of selectorelements, said contact bank being provided with a contact which isidentical for all selector elements, and a contact on each of saidselector elements for xing the position of said selector element in thecontact bank, each selector element corresponding to a particularsupport whereby when said selector element is placed in engagement withsaid contact bank an electric Circuit is made and the endless conveyordevice is ro- 5 tated until the support corresponding to the selectorelement thereon arrives at a predetermined location in said closetadjacent to the opening therein, and means causing each support toreturn to its initial position when the corresponding selector elementis removed from engagement 5 with said contact bank.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,542,817

Bernhem June 23, 1925 10

